John McGraw (governor)

John Harte McGraw ( born October 4, 1850, Penobscot County, Maine, † June 23, 1910 ) was an American politician and from 1893 to 1897 the second Governor of the State of Washington.

Early years

John McGraw operation first with his brother, a retail store that this crisis fell victim during an economic depression in 1873. After McGraw moved to the West Coast and worked briefly in San Francisco before settling in Seattle. There he joined the police in 1879 and was chief of police of that city. He remained in this position until 1882. Afterwards he was sheriff in King County. At the same time he studied law and practiced after his admission to the bar. His next step on the career ladder was the position of President of the Seattle First National Bank. McGraw acted in 1889 as campaign manager of the first U.S. senators from the new state of Washington. In 1892 he was elected as a candidate of the Republican Party as the new governor.

Governor of Washington

John McGraw joined his four -year term on January 9, 1893. During this time, the laws of Washington have been revised with respect to the allocation of land and an independent Authority is being established. In 1893 the Great Northern Railroad reached the city of Seattle. After the end of his tenure, a commission of inquiry concluded that during McGraw's tenure as sheriff was missing $ 10,000, which was forced to pay this now. To this end, he sold part of his property. Then he took part in the Klondike Gold Rush and was lucky that he was able to compensate for the financial losses. He then returned to Seattle and began to be active in real estate and insurance business. Between 1905 and 1907 he was president of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce. In 1910, the former governor died of typhoid fever. He was married to Mary L. Kelley, with whom he had two children.